Park Grill Sues City to Keep Their Lease

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The company that runs Park Grill restaurant in Millennium Park is fighting to keep their lease and stay in business next to the Bean.

Earlier this month, the city filed a lawsuit to break its lease with Millennium Park Joint Venture LLC. On Thursday, the LLC countersued, seeking a preliminary injunction against the city or more than $15 million in damages, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The 2003 restaurant contract set a base yearly payment of $275,000. City lawyers said the operators have not paid because it was deferred under the terms of the lease. Now the city is trying to undo the 20-year deal.

The Park Grill's lawyer calls the city's lawsuit "way off base" and says the restaurant's ownership group "was not selected through political connections," according to the Tribune. The city claims the Park District had no authority over agreements about the use of the land and the deal was never approved by the City Council.

The Park District is a defendant in the city's original lawsuit filed on Dec. 1. Millennium Park Joint Venture LLC also named the Park District as a defendant in their countersuit.